Press Releases

As part of an ongoing effort to mark national Financial Literacy Month, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today recognized high-scoring students in the National Financial Capability Challenge for the 2010-11 school year.

Today, Education (ED) Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius launched a new initiative to help educate graduating college and university seniors about their new health insurance options under the Affordable Care Act.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that New Hampshire will receive $1.47 million to turn around its persistently lowest achieving schools through the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program. The funds are part of $546 million available to states for the School Improvement Grant program in fiscal year 2010.

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called on K-12 schools and colleges and universities across the central U.S. – and throughout the country – to help their students, faculty and communities prepare for earthquakes by participating in a public earthquake drill on Thursday, April 28, 2011.

“I want to commend Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel for choosing a diverse and outstanding team to lead the Chicago Public Schools and take education reform forward. Like many schools districts, Chicago faces considerable educational and budgetary challenges, but the people announced today bring tremendous experience, knowledge and commitment to the job.

WASHINGTON – Today, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, reached a settlement agreement with Independent School District #761 in Owatonna, Minn., to resolve an investigation into race and national origin harassment and disproportionate discipline of Somali-American students at Owatonna High School.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that eleven states will receive funding to turn around their persistently lowest achieving schools through the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program.

WASHINGTON – Today, the White House and the U.S. Department of Education announced the six high schools selected as finalists for this year’s Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge. As part of the next step of the Commencement Challenge, the Get Schooled Foundation will now work with each school to produce a video for the online voting portion of the challenge.

The U.S. Department of Education today announced a series of initiatives to safeguard student privacy while clarifying that states have the flexibility to share school data that are necessary to judge the effectiveness of government investments in education.